Dissecting Verizon’s “iDon’t” ad and the new “Droid Does” campaign paints a promising picture of the Motorola Droid, a Verizon-exclusive iPhone-killer. Leaked specs are impressive: facial and speech recognition, a new mapping app with directions, high-res display, multi-touch, and more.

In case you missed it, Verizon launched a new ad Saturday announcing its first-ever Android phone, dubbed Droid, for a November launch. Some claim that the device will arrive November 30, based on the XML file that controls the alien-styled countdown timer on Verizon’s teaser page at droiddoes.com. The page hints at a 5-megapixel camera that shoots video and takes pictures in the dark, a high-resolution display, and a speedy processor.

While Verizon keeps a tight lid on the phone’s design, a series of genuine-looking spyshots leaked to Boy Genius Report, copied here for the sake of completeness, reveal the iPhone-esque form factor with a large 3.7-inch 854×480 pixel capacitive screen spreading across the entire face and a really thin physical keyboard that slides out on the left, with a soft-touch rubberized finish. The publication dubbed Droid the “fastest Android device” and “the most impressive phone” they’ve used since the iPhone, thanks to a speedy Texas Instruments OMAP3430 system-on-a-chip also found inside the Pre. This custom silicon sports the ARM Cortex A8 CPU clocked at 500MHz, the PowerVR SGX 530 GPU, and a 430MHz C64x+ DSP (digital signal processor) and ISP (image signal processor).

A Google-designed device

Google’s fingerprints are apparently all over this thing. The search giant has allegedly called for an included desktop cradle that displays useful information (time, local weather, etc.) while charging the device. Google also pushed for facial recognition, a head-turning feature that taps the Google cloud to bring up similar images when you take someone’s photo with the phone’s built-in camera.

The publication says that Droid will come in black and titanium flavors, with a possible touch-only version slated for a 2010 release. Verizon’s teaser page suggests a tight integration between the advanced hardware and Android 2.0, code-named Eclair, which brings a new speech recognition and an enhanced Maps app with directions.

These enhancements come on top of Android’s existing features, like multitasking and notification panel, in addition to over 10,000 free and paid apps available for download in Android Market. It’s believed that Android 2.0 will aggregate social feeds from Facebook and Twitter on the system level, suggesting a strong social focus for the Droid. For example, the Droid will display Facebook contacts’ photos and status updates when they call, like the Motoblur feature found on the Cliq (T-Mobile announcement, review). There will also be a custom Motorola-designed UI that will apparently eliminate the usual Verizon junk completely.

Android 2.0 adds enterprise features and multi-touch gestures as well so the Droid could be the first Android handset to sport pinch zoom and other iPhone-esque multi-fingered gestures. It’s believed that Google didn’t enable multi-touch in Android at Apple’s request, in times when its CEO Eric Schmidt still had a seat on Apple’s board. Android 2.0 automatically backs up your phone over-the-air and supports the latest mobile GPUs, paving the way for PSP- and iPhone-like games on Android 2.0-enabled handsets.

Verizon: Droid Does confirmed emails

Motorola Droid (home screen)

Motorola Droid (back)

Motorola Droid (maps)

Motorola Droid (keyboard out)

Verizon started a new ad war

Verizon is obviously taking a page from Apple’s marketing manual. In barely a week the carrier has launched a nasty attack on both rival AT&T and Apple’s iPhone. Verizon is also cleverly dosing leaks in an attempt to build a pre-launch hype. For example, the Droid page teases with the following line?

Don’t you wish you had a robot sidekick that moved at light speed, could get you out of any problem and lived in your pocket?

After you leave your email address, the tease switches to the email communication that says you “signed up for this email because you think you need a new smartphone.” The message then continues:

But you don’t need a new smartphone, you need a supergenious in your pocket. A phone that listens better than the person on the other end of the call. Apps of every shape and size. Emails that let you know what they are before you read them. The greatest web experience on the phone. All working together to get things done.

You know there’s no phone like that. And it ticks you off. But there will be. Droid is coming.

To me, this tease reveals that the Droid will sell text-to-speech (for email), voice recognition (for phone navigation), apps that adapt to the phone’s screen resolution (Android 1.6’s feat), and Verizon’s speedy CDMA EV-DO network. Apple watchers could also learn a thing or two from Verizon’s sudden ad attack on the iPhone and the fact that the carrier recently teamed up with Google. If you ask me, this has pretty much killed any possibility of a CDMA-enabled iPhone and a Verizon-subsidized Apple tablet.

Reader Comments

Dave Papajcik

This might be the first Motorola device that I will ever want to own. I’m generally not a huge fan of side slidding keyboards, but this device seems awesome. I have never owned anything but LG phones because of a superior quality to the others (Samsung is a close second but I just never liked their phones enough). HTC sucks and so does Motorola, but this might change my mind on that. We shall see if I spend the money.

Sebastien

This phone has a feature called “Car Home” which offers drivers shortcuts for functions you might need while driving- a feature that is as stupid as it is dangerous!

Instead of coming up with useless features they could have given it a tad more thought and come up with something better, like a feature that saves your favorites and keeps them only as far as a click away. Or maybe a one-hand operated device? Now those are features!

Dickey

This phone is slated to be a great device. I think the features are no more useless than the multitude of crap on the iphone. The iphone is a problem waiting to happen, trust me i work for AT&T. I am looking forward to adding this one to my line-up.

http://www.facebook.com imitation_is_flatery

I think it is funny how Verizon is using Apple’s iPhone jingles and signature “i” and using it all over attack ads. “There a ‘map’ for that” and the new “iDon’t blah blah blah.”

They are jealous and ticked that they don’t have and won’t get the iPhone that they are getting desperate. When you mock your competition with their own creativity, you are desperate and lose.

Running their own original (and non-mockery based) ads, iPhone will continue to rule. Droid will be the newest Zune to flame out!

Ric

Non-mockery based ads? Apple? Really? Ever seen the “I’m a Mac” ads? That’s the central tenet of Apple advertising: “you’re an idiot if you don’t buy Apple.”

Don’t get me wrong–Apple makes some great stuff. But to say they don’t use mockery in their ads is the height of ignorance.

coolfx35

I was gonna get the Samsung Omnia II, but now the Motorola Droid.. Ah.. I’m melting to have this phone. I wish they would hurry up and interview it though… Does anyone know if it can taxt all 3 ways? i.e, full physical qwerty keyboard, full touch qwerty keyboard in landscape mode, and I already know about the regular touch-txt as if it were a normal phone. I asked this question on http://www.Motorola-Droid.org feel free to share your views.

Jeremy

If you honestly think this will kill the Iphone then you are sadly mistaken. The Iphone is a mini compute. It has a lot more apps. And its also an Ipod. Apple nailed the design to the point where its a phone that you want to have at your ear and let people know Yeah Thats Right I Have An Iphone!

neoonyx

Droid will not kill the iPhone, but really thats not the point. Droid is delivering the same level of toys, 16GB on board memory and 32GB extended, a larger, faster network, and not be locked into dealing with the Mac substitute. You are right; however, Apple does have a lot more apps over 100000. Personally, I only need a couple, and the 10000+ for Android cover it.